Media Sanitization makes sure Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) cannot be recovered from media once that media leaves your control or is reused. It is part of the Media Protection (03.08) family and closes the media lifecycle that Media Storage (03.08.01) and Media Access (03.08.02) begin. Media Sanitization (03.08.03) is a single statement: sanitize system media that contain CUI prior to disposal, release out of organizational control, or release for reuse. Per the NIST discussion, the sanitization process removes CUI so it cannot be retrieved or reconstructed, techniques include cryptographically erasing, clearing, purging, and destroying, and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) policies control the sanitization process and may require destruction when other methods cannot be applied.
A common difficulty with this requirement is disposing of drives, copiers, or printers without accounting for the CUI stored on them. Modern devices retain data in places people forget, such as the internal storage of a multifunction printer or a scanner. R3 also adds an explicit trigger for release out of organizational control, so equipment returned to a leasing company or a vendor must be sanitized just like equipment being disposed of.
Where things stand for companies facing the transition from NIST 800-171 R2 to R3:
The following is reproduced verbatim from NIST 800-171 R3, requirement 03.08.03 Media Sanitization. Only the formatting has been adjusted for readability. This is a single statement with no lettered parts:
The source control is MP-06 from NIST 800-53. There are no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). Per the NIST discussion, sanitization applies to digital and non-digital media whether or not removable, examples include digital media in scanners, copiers, printers, notebooks, mobile devices, workstations, and network components, and NARA policies control sanitization for media containing CUI. You can read the requirement directly at NIST 800-171 R3, 03.08.03 (p. 45).
None (0). Requirement 03.08.03 contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value to select and nothing for the DoD to specify. The requirement applies as written.
Your System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.08.03 therefore records how the requirement is implemented rather than a parameter you chose.
NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.08.03 into one (1) determination statement, and it has no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). The AO is:
The single objective covers all three triggers: disposal, release out of organizational control, and release for reuse. An assessor will look for sanitization across each. The full guidance on assessment methods and objects, is in NIST 800-171A R3, 03.08.03 (p. 58).
Examine: media protection policy and procedures; procedures for media sanitization and disposal; applicable standards and policies that address media sanitization policy; system audit records; media sanitization records; system design documentation; system configuration settings; records retention and disposition 58 NIST SP 800-171Ar3 Assessing CUI Security Requirements May 2024 policy; records retention and disposition procedures; system security plan.
Interview: personnel with media sanitization responsibilities; personnel with records retention and disposition responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities; system administrators.
Test: processes for media sanitization; mechanisms for supporting or implementing media sanitization.
03.08.03 maps from NIST 800-171 R2 requirement 3.8.3 (sanitize or destroy system media containing CUI before disposal or release for reuse), and it absorbs R2 requirement 3.7.3 (ensure equipment removed for off-site maintenance is sanitized of any CUI):
Mapped against the one (1) AO, it is direct (minimal effort), with no net-new AOs and none with no mapping. The sanitization concept carries forward, and R3 consolidates the media sanitization requirement with the off-site equipment sanitization requirement into a single objective, adding release out of organizational control as an explicit trigger. If you sanitized media before disposal and reuse under R2 and handled off-site equipment, confirm you also cover release out of organizational control.
Source Control in NIST 800-53 R5:
Secure Controls Framework (SCF) Crosswalk
Organizations running a single control set across multiple frameworks can satisfy 03.08.03 through the following SCF controls:
The crosswalks from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3 to the SCF are available at no cost through the SCF Set Theory Relationship Mapping (STRM): https://securecontrolsframework.com/start-here/set-theory-relationship-mapping-strm. The STRM also carries the relationship type for each mapping (Equal, Subset Of, Intersects With), which tells you whether an SCF control fully satisfies the requirement or only part of it. Mapping above taken from SCF 2026.3.
The following are issues teams may encounter rather than certainties. They are about hidden storage and the release trigger, each of which needs documented evidence of due diligence and due care such as policies, standards, procedures, and configuration screenshots:
Reasonable objective evidence for an assessment is often subjective. The following examples of evidence to address NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.03 are sourced from the SCF Evidence Request List (ERL), available at https://securecontrolsframework.com/free-content/scf-download. These ERL artifacts are mapped to NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.03 through SCF controls. They establish a starting point for discussions on what an organization needs to have for evidence of due diligence and due care to withstand external scrutiny by an assessor or regulator.
Alongside these, keep the System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.08.03.
With the single AO mapping directly, 03.08.03 is a light lift, though device inventory can take effort. A realistic sequence:
How many assessment objectives does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.03 have? NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.08.03 into one (1) assessment objectives. An assessor works through each one separately, so each needs its own evidence.
Which NIST 800-53 R5 control does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.03 come from? MP-06.
How many Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs) does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.03 have? None (0). The requirement contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value and nothing for the DoD to specify.
Where does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.03 sit in the NIST 800-171 R3 Kill Chain? Phase 8, Segmented Network Architecture. The Kill Chain is a phased model for sequencing R3 implementation, and it assigns this requirement to that phase.
03.08.03 Media Sanitization sanitizes system media containing CUI before disposal, release out of organizational control, or reuse. It maps directly from R2 3.8.3 and absorbs 3.7.3, with R3 adding release out of organizational control as a trigger. The recurring problem is disposing of devices without accounting for hidden storage. Inventory all CUI-bearing media and devices, sanitize before disposal, release, or reuse per NARA policy, and keep records.
Authoritative sources:
Authoritative sources:
This guide reproduces U.S. Government text from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3. It is educational, not legal or assessment advice. Last reviewed: 2026-09-22.
